


our friendship up against the ropes (and don't you wonder why)

by gayclubanthem



Series: do you wanna be my sidekick? [3]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, anyway here have some ziam, i don't write fluff ok, it's fluff, this isn't even like fluffy but it's fluffy, wow this took forever sorry jenny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-22
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-08-16 15:41:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8108083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gayclubanthem/pseuds/gayclubanthem
Summary: third installment of the sidekick series in which zayn and liam are not on a date.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AlwaysCourage](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlwaysCourage/gifts).



> wowowow i'm so SLOW AT WRITING but anyway here's this. if it looks familiar it's because this started as a quick little thing i wrote for a friend on my tumblr like two years ago or something. i've been slowly (SLOWLY) editing and adding and this is what i've got.
> 
> this hasn't been beta'd but i was so excited to finally finish i decided to post it for miss jenny anyway. any mistakes are mine and mine alone.

Zayn blinks away the sleep in his eyes and makes a soft noise in the back of his throat as he burrows himself even further under the mountain of blankets covering his shoulders. He hates waking up more than anything in the world. The process always leaves his body feeling wrung out and his mind foggy. Yet his phone on the bedside table continues to blare out Disclosure and after a few moments he has no choice but to roll over and reach out, silencing the alarm. 

His room is filled with a soft yellow glow filtering in through the ivory curtains veiling his large picture window, the morning sun warming his bed in a way that has Zayn feeling calm and cozy. By no means does he want to get up, but he knows if he doesn’t he’ll be late for brunch with Liam. Zayn simply cannot bear the thought of that.

So with a resolute sigh, Zayn sits up, stretching his arms above his head while his knees unlock and his toes curl. He hates waking up, but for Liam he would do just about anything. It's sort of a sore spot, in all honesty. Zayn has a hard time wrapping his brain around how quickly the two had become friends. Well, sort of friends. Maybe he's finally lost it, well and truly, but there's no mistaking the way his chest constricts whenever Liam glances at him like he's the most amazing person in the world. _Fuck_.

After a quick shower, Zayn puts on the clothes he had admittedly laid out the night before and styles his hair carefully, making sure it looks shiny and gently tousled. If Louis were there, he’d be taking the piss for sure, poking at Zayn’s sides as he runs his product covered fingers through the raven locks, laughing like a lunatic and dancing away when Zayn takes a swing at him. 

For that reason exactly, Louis does not live with Zayn. 

So Zayn gets ready in peace, occasionally checking the clock and wincing when he sees it’s already 10:30 and he’s not yet put his shoes on. By now, the car is probably waiting outside in the driveway to take him to the cafe Liam had insisted they go to (with the promise of privacy and good food). With a flurry of movement, Zayn grabs a pair of simple black boots that he insists go with everything no matter how many times his team disagrees and runs downstairs and through the front door, just barely remembering to grab his keys and wallet.

If his driver has any question regarding Zayn’s socked feet, he doesn’t let on, merely opening the door to the backseat for Zayn to slip into. He laces up the boots while they wind their way through the streets of Los Angeles. He refuses to feel nerves. He’s just meeting Liam for brunch, it doesn’t mean anything. It can't.

After Harry had insisted the band meet Liam and Niall, they’d all sort of fallen into a strange friendship. It helped that Louis and Zayn had been planning on staying in California for the first month of their break before heading home to England, giving them the opportunity to actually spend time getting to know the mechanics. It was a bit odd, though, that their new friendship felt so comfortable so quickly. For once, Zayn wasn’t sure just how eager he was to travel across the ocean. He’d become so used to hearing Niall’s booming laugh and Liam’s calming voice and Liam's goofy smile or Liam's grease stained fingers curling around a beer glass after a long day of work. Zayn suppresses a childish groan at his own straying imagination. That way lies madness, he tries to reason with himself. 

It doesn't help. 

The car pulls over in front of a nondescript cafe with a neon sign out front reading “The Bitter End” followed by the silhouette of a coffee mug which strikes Zayn as clever, if a bit morose. Regardless, he smiles at the joke and makes a mental note to take a picture for Harry. He opens the door to the car himself after telling his driver to come back in three hours. 

Liam’s already sitting in the far corner with a steaming mug in front of him, gaze locked on the screen of his phone. The sight of him sends a thrill of something electric down Zayn’s spine, which. Okay. So maybe Zayn is definitely nervous. He feels so ridiculous. It’s not like they haven’t spent time together, with the boys and occasionally one on one, seated in front of Zayn's massive television watching nerdy movies. Something about this brunch feels different. 

Glancing away, Zayn makes his way to the counter. There’s no line, which gives him zero time to look at the menu and decide on what he wants, so he orders a black coffee in a panic, forgetting that he was supposed to stay away from caffeine per Harry’s orders. So, alright, maybe he had gone overboard with the three cups of coffee and four cups of tea each day while on tour, but what Harry doesn’t know won’t hurt him. After paying, he takes his mug and carefully carries it to Liam’s table. 

He still hasn’t noticed Zayn’s presence, his brow furrowed while he frowns at his phone and takes small sips of his own drink. It isn’t until Zayn pulls back the chair and sits that he tears his gaze away. His entire face lights up with a bright smile and shiny eyes and okay, he’s definitely cute and entirely too unaware of his own power over Zayn to be real. _Fuck, fuck, fuck._

"Hi, I’m glad you’re here," Liam says, his voice filled with something like relief which is almost funny. Like Zayn could ever let this boy down. He thinks he would have better luck kicking a puppy, which, no thanks. "Not that I didn’t think you’d come, I just, y’know. I dunno."

"It’s fine, mate," Zayn replies, hoping the fondness that’s currently curling inside of his chest isn’t showing on his face. It probably is.

"So. Did you want anything to eat? I guess they don’t have much as far as real food goes, but I can get you something sweet? I’m obsessed with the blueberry muffins," Liam flushes when he’s done rambling, but his smile is still stretched across his face. "I was gonna get you something to drink too, but you beat me to it."

"You don’t have to get me anything, Liam," Zayn laughs, "But if you insist, a blueberry muffin sounds really wonderful."

Liam nearly trips over himself getting out of the chair. Zayn reaches out to touch his arm, steadying him. The brush of his hand on Liam’s arm is almost enough to make Zayn properly blush, but he manages to keep it together and nods when Liam rushes away.

So. Okay. Zayn really should have thought it through better when Liam had asked him out for brunch. At the time it had seemed like an excellent idea, considering Zayn’s plane to London took off in a few days and they never did get to finish that conversation about the overlooked goodness in Loki’s character they started at the last movie night. Now, Zayn would kindly like to slap his past self for thinking he could be alone with Liam in such a domestic setting for any amount of time without going absolutely batshit.

"You’re hair looks nice today," Liam comments when he slides back into his seat, setting two plates with identical muffins on the table next to their drinks. Zayn just barely keeps himself from reaching up and touching his hair self consciously.

"Thanks," he says, voice soft and genuine. "Put extra effort in this morning just for you, Leemo."

At the nickname, Liam’s face goes slightly red, eyes warming into pools of melted chocolate. His fingers are fiddling with the wrapper around his muffin, and without thinking Zayn puts his own hands over them, stilling his movements. The tips of his fingers brush along the thin skin on the inside of Liam's wrist.

"Um," is all Liam can say, and Zayn makes to pull his hands back. What the fuck is wrong with him. He’s been too forward and now Liam is freaked out and maybe it’s good that Zayn’s leaving soon so Liam can pretend he never met Zayn and whatever weird... _thing_ they were building will fizzle away.

"Sorry, that was kind of… I didn’t mean to…" Zayn shuts up, picking apart his muffin and stuffing more than a few bites worth into his mouth. It’s delicious, of course. Liam stares a little bit, the corners of his mouth working down into a slight frown.

"You don’t have to be sorry Zayn, you just surprised me," he manages. He’s starting to look flustered again, which Zayn has come to know means he’s about to start rambling. "I mean, it’s not like I’ve been very subtle, but for a while I wasn’t really sure if you liked me too. I mean, Louis said- but I thought maybe he was joking. Like, yeah it's been like the best hanging out with you... and the lads of course, but we've never really gone out anywhere with just you and me," Liam takes a breath. Zayn can't catch up. "And then you agreed to come here with me and I just, uhm. Well, I guess I’m just not sure where we stand? Like, this is a date, right? I’m not just making this up?"

Now it’s Zayn’s turn to stare, his mind whirring as it processes Liam’s insecurities. When the words finally sink in, Zayn washes down the last of his bite of food with his still too hot coffee.

"Are you saying you fancy me?"

It's not very tactful, Zayn's well aware, but he needs to know. A hot flush rises up in his cheeks and his face is suddenly burning. Judging by the pink coloring Liam's own face, he's not the only one who feels embarrassed. Before Liam can find an answer, Zayn takes a deep breath and decides it's now or never. He reaches over the top of the table and takes hold of Liam's hand again.

"I kept thinking I was just imagining this thing between us," Zayn says on a shaky exhale.

They stare at each other for a few moments, both wearing expressions of hopefulness. Zayn can feel his insides twisting while he regards Liam, the way his face is opening up again, impossibly warm grin pressing into his cheeks, eyes squinting with the movement.

"Thank god," Liam says at last. "Now that that’s sorted can we go back to our date?"

He puts a little emphasis on the word date, looking entirely too pleased. It sparks a huff of laughter from Zayn, who pries Liam's fingers from his cup so they can properly hold hands. The warm calluses on Liam's palm make Zayn's brain whirl, but it's pleasant instead of confusing. Zayn has to press his lips together to stop an inevitably stupid grin from forming.

"Only if you're really sure. I mean, I'll be gone a lot and the paps make it impossible to go out for more than an hour or two at a time and I swear every week they think I'm dating some new model--"

"Zayn," Liam interrupts, an amused gleam in his eyes. "I'm sure."

Zayn lets out a breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding. He nods to himself and forces all the doubts that have been circling around in his brain to the back of his mind. They can cross those bridges when they get there.

"I'll miss you," Liam says, his thumb rubbing patterns into Zayn's wrist. "But I feel like we'll be okay."

"You're right, I'm just thinking too much," Zayn replies. His heart still feels like it might fly out of his chest if he's not careful, but in a way it feels amazing. If he weren't sitting in a coffee shop with the most amazing boy he's ever met, Zayn would probably assume his body was finally giving up on him. Instead, Liam's hand is warm in his, a smile on both of their faces, and Zayn is about five hundred percent positive he'll never feel more alive.

"Say, when I leave could you do me a favor?" Zayn asks.

"Sure?" Liam says, brows drawing down in confusion.

"Can you try and convince Niall that going on a date with Harry would not be the end of the world. I’m sick of hearing every single poem he writes about Niall’s ‘endless ocean eyes’."

"Deal," Liam agrees easily enough. "And between the two of us, Niall's hanging by a thread. He complains, but I think he likes the attention. Just... Harry won't break his heart will he?"

Zayn smiled, hoping he looks reassuming. "Listen, Harry's one of my best mates, and he's a good guy. He wouldn't have kept all this up if he weren't in it, y'know? I've seen his flings and they aren't anything like this, I promise."

"Good," Liam sighs with relief written into his features. "Niall's just... he's kind of my family now. I talk to my mum all the time on the phone, but it's not the same, y'know?"

"I do," and it's such an honest reply, Zayn's breath catches. They share a long look, Liam seeming to understand the nerve he's hit and offering silent support. 

"So, how’s the muffin?" Liam asks suddenly, glancing away before the moment became too heavy.

With a small smile and a fluttering heart, Zayn pulls a piece off from his muffin and holds it up to Liam. He puts on his best smoldering smirk, deciding that going on a date with this boy is probably the best decision he’s ever made.

"Why don’t you tell me?"

**Author's Note:**

> next on sidekick: niall and harry go to the zoo?


End file.
